Mall Day
by moonswirl
Summary: Gleekathon, day two hundred and eighty: They all need one day to raise their spirits, after back to back losses.


_Started my daily ficlets to make the hiatus pass, then decided to keep going with a 2nd cycle, and then a 3rd, 4th, etc through 13th cycle. Now cycle 14!_

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**"Mall Day"  
Kurt, Mercedes, Quinn **

As they'd sat in the Glee room, for what they believed to be the last time, none of them knew how much their previous Sunday – and the wish they'd had – was so very close to coming true.

New Directions had returned home with defeat weighing in their bodies. It was the absolute opposite of the bus ride after Sectionals. Along with the trophy, the other noted absence was Quinn, still at the hospital. Sitting side by side, Kurt and Mercedes leaned head to head, depressed out of their minds.

"If we keep this up, we'll be burned out before summer," Kurt's voice was flat with despair. "We need to break this streak," he turned his eyes toward her.

"We should make a day of it," Mercedes agreed. She paused, deciding, "We could take Quinn with us. Think she'll need this just as much as we do, maybe more," she pointed out to Kurt. He considered this, and he gave her a nod. Already, to be made to figure out what they'd do did help to change their mood up, even if only a little.

Quinn had returned to the Jones home that night. She'd probably be moving back on home soon, but for the moment she was still with them. Mercedes was right with her, for whatever she could need. Eventually she'd brought up the idea of the day out, the two of them and Kurt. She insisted that there was no rush, if she wanted to take it easy. Quinn said it would depend on how she felt in the morning, and that she wouldn't say no to a day like Mercedes suggested. So they'd wait.

In the morning, Mercedes woke up to find Quinn, showered and dressed… She wanted to go; so they went, the three of them, they descended on the mall.

The first 'activity' had started their day with some care – manicures and pedicures for all. For one thing, they didn't want to force Quinn through too much walking, and for the other… They didn't really have it in them either.

None of them said a thing, except to the ones working on their hands and feet. It wasn't so easy, taking that step out from the mindset they'd been sucked into; it took longer than expected, but at the very least they were relaxing, anticipating the rest of the day. Since they were neither chatty nor hungry, they'd gone and moved on to the darkness of the movie theater.

Once they were out of there though, they were open to hunger, their moods starting to lift and allowing conversation to exist. That still involved Glee Club for them, with the double loss of Regionals and Glee Club itself.

"What are we supposed to do now?" Mercedes sighed, as they sat in their booth at Breadstix.

"Wish I knew," Kurt shook his head. Quinn looked to her glass, then to the others, her friends.

"It might not be too late," she slowly spoke at first. They looked back to her. "There could still be a way…" she went on the side of hope, rubbing off just enough on Kurt and Mercedes. They had a brief smile, wishing very much that it could and would be true.

"The way I see it, we won. The judges?" Kurt shook his head. "And Rachel said Vocal Adrenaline had nothing on us… I think I'm fine believing her," he nodded, hanging on to the strand of hope to pull both himself and Mercedes from their 'down.' Both girls chuckled.

"Okay, then," Mercedes held up her glass. The others followed happily. "To the rematch," she suggested. "To next year," she beamed.

"Next year," Quinn repeated, smiling.

"We're gonna cream them," Kurt followed, bold and determined. He blinked and retreated, awkward, while the girls were first startled, then amused.

"Something like that," Quinn agreed.

At the end of the day, the mall had done its part, and they'd come on the other side much better. As they returned to McKinley though, they had to come back to reality, believe that their good little club would be taken from them.

One more day gone and then came their 'salvation,' and there it was… Club, saved… Rematch, possible! As Mr. Schuester offered them all a song, Quinn looked to Mercedes with a knowing smile, reaching to grasp her hand. Kurt, between them, joined in his hands, the three of them feeling their mall day not at all in vain.

THE END

_And on my way out, a little survey of sorts! It's for something to come later ;)_

_Give me a show you love the episode titles from [you can put along 3 to 5 of those episode titles along with it!]_


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